Torpedo.



A. EXTRAND.

TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I4, 1915.

- Patented Jan.16,1917;

section and partly broken away, showing the new and useful Improvements in Torpedoes,

' ALFRED nxrraazun, or ABERDEEN, wasnmerom. l I

I ronrnno.

mages.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1917,.

Application mes August is, 1915. Serial mieama of which the following is a description.

.The invention relates to mprovements in torpedoes of the automobile type,and it has for one of its objects the provisionot steer ing means whereby the course of the torpedo can be controlled from the parent vesself It also has for its object the provision of means for returning the torpedo to its parent vessel should lt'lIllSS its objective marlg said returning means being also controlled'f trom the parent vessel.

Itjfurther has for its object the provision of a signal mounted. on the torpedo, and under controlfrom the parent vessel, Whereby the course of the torpedo can be readily followed only by the observer on the parent vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide in the parent vessel a locking chamber from which the torpedo is started that is particularly adapted to the steering means for controlling the course of the torpedo.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Inthe drawings, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 1s a perspective v ew,-showing, the torpedo leaving the j parent vesseh Fig. 2 is a view showing a horizontal section of the locking chamber, and the -niecha-- nism for operating thebteering lines Fig.

3 is a detail'sec tional view of a part of the locking chamber and the line controlling the signal. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View showing the signal mounted on the torpedo. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in The parent vessel"; may, be of the subma rine type, asshown in the drawing. In the forward side of the vessel is thelock chamber 2 from which the torpedo is dlscharged.

The inner and outer endsof the chamber are provided with the usual slide doors to con trol the openings of the chamber. To the rear of the lock chamber 15 mounted the shaft?) driven by the belt 4 fromthe imotor Rotatable on the shaftare the winding drums 6, 6?, each of'which is .pr'ovided"with' "her 2. Leading through the rear"wall*of the lock chamber are the lines9, Qfithe outer ends of which are secured to the. opposite sides of the torpedo, as at 12. "In operating the torpedo, the outer door otthe'locl; chain}. beryis-first closed and after the. water-has escaped fromthe chamber in the usualmanner the inner door is opened and the torpedo is placed within the chamber' anfd thelines 9, 9 are attached to itssidesf'When the torpedo is launched, 'afteL'EheRpropeIling mechanismhas been startedit lie'inner door of the lock chamber is closed smith-e outer door is open to give/access to the outside water. When the chamber" fills the torpedo passes outwardly from the lock chamber to ward its objectivejpoint. *The' progress of the torpedo can be followed. by a" signal mechanism hereinafter described.

By manipulating the lines9, QP the tor-f pedo can be guidedi'n its eourse Befbre. the torpedo is launched the clutches 7 are moved to free the drums 6, 6 so that thelatter can turn freely on' the shaft 3; 'Astlie torpedo.

progresses the lines are drawn, ofi their drums. Should it be desired to changethe course of thetcrpedo, saytothe right-as shown in Fig. 1', by a slight application of the brake 8 to the drum'6, 'a slight pull W'i'll' be given to the line 9 whichwill tend'toturn' fthe torpedo tothe right. dVhenthe" torpedo has. been sufiiciently turnedWo'the desired course the. brake is released andfthelinefQ is, freed-from the pull so that the'tensionz.

of both lines will 'bethe same. To turnthe nect the drums 6, 6 with the shaft 3, which m5 torpedo to theleft, the drum 6 and the line "9? are manipulated in the same way. Should standard is hinged to the torpedo, as at 14:, -'so'that the standard can be turned forward is driven by the motor 5, to wind in the lines moving' the guides 10 back and forth while the lines are being wound in the per surface of the torpedo is mounted the telescopic standard 13 carrying at its upper end an electric lamp.- The lower end of the down onto the body of the'torpedo. The

turning down of the standard is to facilitate the return of the torpedo into the lockchamber. In its upright position the standard rests against the block 15, which holds it in such position against the pressure of the water as the torpedo moves forward.

To prevent the standard from accidentally falling forward the spring l6 is provided that tends normally to hold the standard in an upright position. Thetwo telescopic 1 members of the standard are normally pressed to an extended osition by the compressed coiled spring 1 O er the elect'ric lamp is the hood 18 only open at the rear so that the light can only be seen from astern .of the torpedo.

The two members of the standard can be telescoped by the line .19 secured to the upper member and passing under the pulleys 20. through the top of the lock chamber, as at 21, to the drum 22 loosely journaled on the shaft 24 mounted back of the shaft 3. The shaft 24: is driven by the belt 25 leading from the motor 5. A clutch 26 is provided for connecting and disconnecting the drum 22 with the shaft 24:, and a friction brake 27 is provided so that the turning of the drum can be retarded. A guide 28 is'provided. for the line 19 so that it can be played smoothly onto the drum 22 while being wound thereon. The drum 22 is driven at the same rate of speed as the drums .6, 6*,

so that the three lines will be wound in at the same rate.

\Vhile the torpedo is travelingitoward itsmark a slight pressure is applied to the friction brake 27 so as to retard slightly the paying out of the line 19. This slight restraint'on the line will exert a sufficient pull -on the upper member of the standard 13 as to telescope the same against the action 'of he spring 17. As the torpedo travels This line leads fromthe i torpedo- I slightly below the surface of the water, the

telescoped standard will be submerged.

Should it be desired to ascertain the position of the torpedo, the pressure of the brake 27 on the drum 22 is relieved and the line 19 permitted to run free. 'VVhen the restraint on line 19 is' removed, the spring 17.

extends the telescopic standard so .as to project thesignal at its upper end above the surface of the water. When it is dark the electric lamp, which can only be seen from astern of the torpedo, will indicate to the observer on the parent ship the position of the torpedo; also, during daylight the -pro jecting end of the standard will desi ate the. position. -The exposure of the slgnal need only be sufficiently long to enable the location of the torpedo. As soon as the position is located the movement of the line 19 is again restrained to telescope the members of the standard and thereby cause-the signal to disappear. By exposing the signal at intervals during'the travel of the torpedo,

its course can be guided toward its objective mark. Should the torpedo miss its mark, in

retrieving the same all three of the lines would be wound onto their respective drums at the same rate of speed to prevent entanglement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a parent vessel provided with a lock-chamber, an automobile torpedo adapted to be launched from the lock-chamber, lines for guiding and retrieving the torpedo extending from the parent vessel through the lock-chamber and laterally attached to the torpedo, a depressible signal mounted onthe torpedo, a line leading from the parent vessel through'the lock-chamber to the signal, a winding mechanism on the parent. vessel operating' to simultaneously wind and unwind the guiding "and signal lines, and means for varying the tension on said lines to guide the torpedo and'to depress the signal. I I

2. The combination of a parent vessel provided with a lock-chamber, an automobile torpedo adapted to be launched from the lock-chamber, a telescopic signal mount: ed onthe torpedo, aspring normally extending the telescopic signal, a line leading from the movable member of the telescopic signal to the parent ship, means on the parent ship for paying out the line during the progress of the torpedo, and means for restraining the line to telescope the movable meniber of the signal againstthe action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ALFRED EXTRAND. 

